Beach is one of the fragrance ranges from Bobbi Brown. It includes Shower Gel, Body Oil and Sunscreen Body Spray SPF 15. Today I am reviewing the Body Lotion from the range.
Bobbi Brown Beach Body Lotion is a relatively lightweight body moisturizer. It has a lightly creamy consistency and it is easy to spread. It moisturizes the skin well and doesn’t leave the skin greasy. It keeps the skin soft and the moisture is relatively long-lasting.
Some of its main moisturizing ingredients include aloe leaf juice, jojoba seed oil, sunflower seed oil, olive fruit oil and glycerine. The product also contains green tea leaf extract and vitamin E.
It features the scent from the Beach fragrance, which includes notes of jasmine and mandarin. Even though it is not too heavily scented, for me personally, the scent surprisingly took a bit of getting used to (considering the fact that I do like jasmine and mandarin notes). Perhaps this is because I usually shower in the evening and I find the scent to be slightly too zingy and invigorating for the evening. But it is certainly a fresh and summery scent.
The product is free of alcohol and parabens.
If you like the Beach fragrance, the Beach Body Lotion should be an appealing body moisturizer for spring, summer and fall. It should suit all skin types except very dry skin.
Last October, Ayura released Night Meditation, a version of the classic Ayura fragrance, Spirit of Ayura. On October 23rd this year, Ayura will release Night Harmonition Natural Spray (Cologne, 20ml). It features notes of milk, orange, and bodhi tree.
There will also be two limited-edition sets:
– Night Harmonition Room Collection (Natural Spray 20ml, Aroma Oil 5ml, Aroma Pot; released on October 23rd)
– Night Scented Collection (Natural Spray 20ml, Aroma Oil 5ml, Meditation Body Cream 50ml, Mini Chimney; released on November 20th)
For Bond No. 9‘s fourth creation in the Andy Warhol series, Success Is a Job in New York, success and money are chosen as the theme. The creation is partly inspired by Warhol’s Dollar Sign in 1981.
Top notes: bergamot, cardamon seed, mandarin, coriander, nutmeg Middle notes: pimento, tuberose, Rose de Mai, jasmine, plum, iris Base notes: vanilla, patchouli, amber
Bond No. 9 describes Success as a warm and spicy gourmand. Gourmand it certainly is, while for me the scent is more warm than spicy. The top notes are very soft and have a transient existence. The main body of the scent is warm and gently floral.
Vanilla seems to characterize the whole composition, and it gives forth a warm, smooth, and rounded feel. Far from sweet and girlie, the scent is calm and sophisticated with a distinguished quality. Overall it conveys an aura of mature old-school glamour, and I think it should be a suitable scent for fall and winter.
Whenever I think about fragrances that explore abstract subject matters, I often think of Bond No. 9’s The Scent of Peace. The serene and comforting scent is a very successful attempt in interpreting the subject, and it happens to be one of my favorite Bond No. 9 scents. Success might not be such a firm personal favorite, but I think it has done just as well in tackling the elusive subject.
Success Is a Job in New York Eau de Parfum will be launched on October 1st in the US in Bond No. 9 stores in New York and branches of Saks Fifth Avenue.
Tiempe Passate was created in 1999 by Antonia Bellanca, who once said of the fragrance, “That’s the scent I love the most – fragrance after you’ve had it on for hours – and that’s the quality Tiempe Passate has just minutes after you apply it – a truly lived in, skin fragrance.” I find the description of this smoky and woody scent quite accurate.
There is one thing that makes Tiempe Passate stand out and reflects Antonia’s description of it. With many fragrances, there is the initial waft of alcohol, but Tiempe Passate has very little of it and the start of the scent is surprisingly mellow. It doesn’t have sharp top notes and the development of the scent is gentle and subtle. It is almost as if the drydown were sprayed straight onto the skin
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Tiempe Passate is essentially a warm, smoky and woody scent which is not overly masculine. Even though it is never overpowering, it is a little too smoky and woody for my personally liking. But I do applaud Antonia’s success in creating something that is classy and memorable.
Tiempe Passate contains notes of bergamot, montauk rose, clementine, sage, ambrette seeds, vetiver, and cedarwood. The bottle comes with a stopper and a pump.
In the UK, it is available at Fenwick New Bond Street, Liberty and Space NK Apothecaries.
The 2010 edition of Kanebo’s Face Up Powder Milano Collection 2010 will be out in Japan on December 16th. This is a pre-order-only item, and the pre-order period will be between mid-June and September 17th.
The powder (24g, SPF 14 PA++) retails for 12600 JPY. Like the 2009 edition, it includes a powder puff with silk produced in Kyoto.
(motif on the powder case)
Since 1991, Kanebo has been releasing the Milano Collection each year (except 1994 and 1995). You can see all the different case designs below. You can also check out the page on the Kanebo website to see larger photos of the cases.
Updated on June 15th 2009:
The collection will also include a 30ml eau de parfum. It will be available from November 16 and the pre-order period ends on August 20th.
(image/info from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/milano-collection)
Known for his bridal wear, Alfred Sung was inspired to create Always by Grace Kelly’s biography and its depiction of her iconic wedding. The creation aims to capture the love, joy and passion of a beautiful wedding day as well as to radiate a timeless sophistication.
The fragrance was created in collaboration with perfumer Clement Gavarry, who is, along with Laurent Le Guernec, behind the popular and critically acclaimed Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker.
Top notes: waterlily, kumquat, neroli Middle notes: pink peony, honeysuckle petals, orris Base notes: sandalwood, patchouli, ambrette seeds
The scent opens with a floral and citrusy effervescence, which feels light, fresh and bright. Then it takes on a warm, smooth and almost milky dimension, but the warmth is never overpowering and the scent manages to remain lilting and uplifting.
To me, this is a very pleasant floral scent with subtle and welcoming warmth and a touch of sweetness, and it successfully captures the imageries of a joyous and romantic wedding. Feminine, elegant and graceful, it is tactfully crafted to suit both daytime and nighttime as well as various seasons (which seems to somewhat echo the name of the fragrance). It is a very wearable scent but it is by no means generic.
Always Alfred Sung is available in 50ml and 100ml Eau de Parfum Sprays and a 7ml Eau de Parfum Rollerball. The range also includes a 200ml Luminous Body Lotion.
Jill Stuart has updated its website to feature the summer 2009 makeup collection (out in Japan on June 5th). The main eye makeup item for the seasonal ad image (below) is Jelly Eye Color N in 08 Crystal Sky (pictured above). It seems to be a very pretty medium purple shade and I am seriously considering getting it.
(image from www.jillstuart-beauty.com)
Also, on July 3rd in Japan, Jill Stuart will release Jill by Jill Stuart Perfumed Body Powder (7g). It is an addition to the Jill by Jill Stuart Eau de Toilette range.
(image from www.joseishi.net/voce)
(Jill by Jill Stuart EDT) (image from www.jillstuart-beauty.com)
Astor Place is housed in one of the most colorful Bond No. 9 bottles to date, as the design echoes Tony Rosenthal’s Alamo at Astor Place. However, to me, if this latest creation from Bond No. 9 were a color, it would be a fresh soft green.
Top notes: violet leaf, mandarin zest Middle notes: freesia, red poppy buds, orris Base notes: teakwood, musk, amber
It opens with fresh green and citrus notes, and it feels vibrant but not too dry or zesty. The scent is soon enriched and intensified by freesia, and, on the whole, there is a pleasant balance among green, citrus, and floral notes. It is a gentle and refreshing scent.
The scent also seems to possess a sense of movement and energy within itself, which echoes birth and growth after the stagnant winter. It is a great fragrance to be worn and enjoyed on a relaxing warm spring day.
Astor Place was launched in April with a limited-edition Swarovski-decorated bottle for Mother’s Day.
In addition, released in May just in time for Mother’s Day is the Swarovski Stars collection, featuring Nuits de Noho (left), Chelsea Flowers (middle), and The Scent of Peace (right). These 50ml flacons will continue to be available after Mother’s Day.
Since Chanel No. 5 debuted on May 5th, 1921, it has acquired an iconic status and a cultural significance. Famous faces, such as Marilyn Monroe, Catherine Deneuve and, more recently, Nicole Kidman, have been spokespersons for this timeless creation.
On the coming May 5th, French actress Audrey Tautou will become the new face of Chanel No. 5. The campaign certers on the short firm directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, who also worked with Tautou on Amélie and A Very Long Engagement.
Here is a behind-the-scene preview of the short firm, which will be shown at www.chanelno5.com from May 5th:
Last week, I came across Sheer Stella 2009, and, as a collector, I had to get it.
This year, the shade of the bottle is peachy-pink, with the rose motif in a frosted texture. I do like the contrast between the glossed and frosted finishes (which were also on the bottle of Sheer Stella 2005) and I prefer this bottle design to last year’s, but overall my favorite two are still the 2005 and 2007 ones.
Last year’s Sheer Stella is quite unique because of the freesia and raspberry notes it has. Sheer Stella 2009 has gone back to lemon and green apple as top notes, It is, not surprisingly, very similar to the first few editions. According to Now Smell This, the notes include lemon, green apple, rose and amber. Compared with Stella, Sheer Stella is generally more cooling and fresh than sensual. For me, it is a very lovely scent that is never too sweet or powdery, great for a warm summer day. (I hope we will have a decent summer in the UK this year…)
(image from Bobbi Brown)
